Lipinski, Stojko sparkle in Munich

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, December 20, 1997

MUNICH, Germany - If the Champions Series Final is a sneak Olympic preview, world champions Tara Lipinski and Elvis Stojko were right where they would want to be when the real thing rolls around.

She sparkled as Anastasia, creating a fairy tale image of a princess skater with graceful layback spins and long, patient spirals inspired by music from the animated film about the daughter of a Russian czar. Going into Saturday's final free skate, Lipinski leads Maria Butryskaya of Russia and Tanja Szewczenko of Germany. France's Laetitia Hubert, who landed five triples to beat Lipinski at the Lalique trophy, withdrew with a sore ankle.

He pulsated through his quick-footed, drum-powered short program to capture across-the-board first placings and straight marks of 5.8s and 5.9s. Russia's Ilia Kulik was second and American Todd Eldredge third.

"Overall, I felt great. There are still a lot of things I want to improve on, but it's still up from Skate Canada," Stojko said.

German pair Mandy Woetzel and Ingo Steuer won the free skate and Oksana Grishuk and Yvgeny Platov of Russia led the ice dancing competition after the compulsory Samba.

*At Calgary, Alberta, Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin staked a claim to a berth on the 1998 U.S. Olympic luge team with their third World Cup doubles victory of the season.

Costner finds his tin cup&lt;

LA QUINTA, Riverside County - Actor Kevin Costner took a page out of "Tin Cup."

Costner's eagle helped him and partner Jim Colbert take a two-shot lead at the $1 million Lexus Challenge with a 10-under-par 60.

"I've never made an eagle," Costner said. "I was just happy I hadn't hit it into the bunker. I was walking back to my caddy when I heard the roar of the crowd."

Costner finished second last year when Lee Trevino was his partner.

Costner, who played the leading role as driving range pro Roy McElvoy in the movie "Tin Cup," was playing to a 14 handicap. He made a 3, but was credited with a net 2 - a double-eagle - on the par-5, 480-yard 17th hole.

Gil Morgan and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roger Clemens were in second place at 62 entering Saturday's second and final round of the 36-hole better-ball event.

*Australian Lucas Parsons regained his composure after a bird swooped at him on the first tee and went on to protect his lead in the Coolum Classic at Coolum, Australia. Parsons fired a 3-under-par 69 and finished 36 holes with a 137.

Brazil gets a little R&R&lt;

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Ronaldo and Romario scored as Brazil beat the Czech Republic, 2-0, for a berth in the FIFA Confederations Cup final against Australia, which upset Uruguay, 1-0, in overtime.

Brazil (3-0-1) went ahead in the 54th minute when Romario - the hero of the 1994 World Cup championship team - scored off a pass from Juninho. Australia (2-1-1), which plays Brazil on Sunday for the title, beat Uruguay (3-1) when Harry Kewell scored two minutes into sudden-death overtime, the 92nd minute.

Uruguay and the Czechs (1-2-1) will play for third place Sunday prior to the championship game.

*U.S. national team goalkeeper Brad Friedel was cleared to join Liverpool when the Premier League club won its appeal to get him a work permit. Liverpool officials said the Department of Employment, which had previously rejected Friedel's application, had accepted the appeal.

Liverpool agreed in October to pay $1.7 million to get Friedel's release from the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer.

*The Dallas Sidekicks have withdrawn from the Continental Indoor Soccer League to join a new professional indoor soccer league, the Premier Soccer Alliance, a Portland-based league scheduled to begin play in 1998.

Etc.&lt;

NEW YORK - A senior producer at ABC's "Good Morning America" was suspended for a month without pay for using a racist slang term when discussing a planned segment on basketball star Latrell Sprewell.

Kevin Cosgrove admitted to making the remark and

"expressed deep, sincere regret," ABC spokeswoman Eileen Murphy said.

Cosgrove went to two of "Good Morning America's" talent bookers and said, "the bosses want spades for the Sprewell segment," according to the New York Daily News, meaning upper management wanted blacks to be interviewed about Sprewell, who is black.

"We're sensitive about matters of race and diversity issues and a comment like this is unacceptable," Murphy said. "When it came to our attention, that was the only option we had." &lt;

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